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Pretoria - The South African Communist Party (SACP) has vented their ire as parole and release conditions were set for Clive Derby-Lewis on Friday.
The party, in a statement, said it would launch a campaign to “transform the judiciary”, in response to a High Court in Pretoria ruling that Derby-Lewis be released on medical parole.
Justice and Correctional Services Minister Michael Masutha opted not to contest Derby-Lewis's medical parole and set the conditions for his release as ordered by the court.
Derby-Lewis is serving a life sentence for the 1993 murder of SA Communist Party leader Chris Hani.
In a statement, the SACP expressed its “disappointment and condemnation of the North Gauteng High Court ruling delivered by Judge Selby Baqwa on May 29 2015, effectively placing Clive Derby-Lewis on medical parole with immediate effect.”
“Derby-Lewis and his collaborator Janusz Walus cold-bloodedly murdered our former General Secretary Comrade Chris Hani. They denied the working class and our country continued leadership from an outstanding revolutionary leader and his wife and children a husband and father for the rest of their lives,” the statement said.
The party alluded to a possible appeal of the decision, insisting that Derby-Lewis had never showed any remorse for his role in the murder of Hani.
“The judge relied on information that was not part of the court process. He was, moreover, incorrect to say the SACP and Chris Hani family received preferential treatment. The concept of ubuntu was further abusively used to mean that only perpetrators of heinous crimes, including murder, in this case, must be forgiven with no regard of compassion to the victims.”
“The SACP reiterates the importance of the principle of compassion, and that this cannot be viewed or exercised in isolation from the truth. Twenty two years after Derby-Lewis and Janusz Walus murdered Comrade Chris Hani they still have not disclosed the truth about the assassination – proving to be both unrepentant and un-rehabilitated.”
“Judge Baqwa was overzealous and stepped out of the bounds of his jurisdiction. The SACP strongly believes that the court has overstepped its mark by blurring our constitutional principle of the separation of powers and by usurping the powers of the Executive.”
“The judiciary must always earn respect from the general population. Otherwise the law will itself be viewed as immoral in the eyes of the pubic because it could be regarded as protecting offenders against victims.”
“It is our strong view that some of the recent judgments
undermine the letter and spirit of the constitution and the circumstances under
which it was developed. In the context of the above we will campaign for
radical transformation of the Judiciary to meet the values of our democracy and
constitution,” it reads.
